A major cause of death among firefighters, particularly those fighting forest fires, is breathing super-heated air. The problem is that the firefighter's position may be overrun by fire and, although they are typically equipped with thermal shelters (heat-reflective tents), they are often injured (sometimes fatally) by breathing superheated air inside the shelter.
Many of the injuries sustained by fire fighters occur as a result of inhalation of super-heated air. In roughly half of all "entrapments" or "burn-over events", the fire fighters suffer significant damage to their lungs despite the protection of their Emergency Thermal Shelter, a heat reflective tent the fire fighter shelters in. When the grass or trees nearest the fire fighter burn, temperatures inside the shelter can exceed 200.degree. for short periods of time.
What is needed is a breathing device that is lightweight compact, and that cools air prior to its being inhaled. The present invention is directed to such an air cooling device.
The following U.S. patents, incorporated by reference herein, disclose breathing devices:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,293 COOLING DEVICE FOR COOLING BREATHING GAS. PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,489 SELF-REGULATING COOLED AIR BREATHING APPARATUS; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,711 PROTECTIVE BREATHING DEVICE; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,310 ADIABATIC HEATING AND COOLING PROCESS; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,629 BREATHING APPARATUS; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,589 DEVICE FOR REGENERATING RESPIRATORY BREATHING AIR; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,500 BREATHING DEVICE; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 4,314,566 AIR COOLER FOR SELF-CONTAINED BREATHING SYSTEM; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 4,300,547 RESPIRATOR HAVING MEANS FOR COOLING INHALATION AIR; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,244 RESPIRATOR WITH A COOLING DEVICE; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 4,251,994 AIR POWERED SOURCE FOR COOLED BREATHABLE AIR; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,947 BREATHING DEVICE HAVING A COOLANT CHAMBER; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,706 PORTABLE BREATHING SYSTEM; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 4,080,103 PORTABLE AIR COMPRESSOR SYSTEM FOR RESPIRATOR; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 3,650,269 EMERGENCY OXYGEN REBREATHER; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 3,646,934 AIR COMPRESSION EQUIPMENT FOR THERAPEUTIC USE; PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 3,527,214 APPARATUS FOR REGENERATING A BREATHABLE GAS; and PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 3,385,293 CLOSED CIRCUIT BREATHING APPARATUS.